The Sakharov Prize Network calls for the freedom of Razan Zaitouneh and the Douma 4

9/12/2014:

Razan Zaitouneh, Sakharov Prize Laureate, founder of the Violations Documentation Centre, human rights lawyer and activist, was kidnapped in a rebel-held area in Douma, Syria, on 9 December 2013. She is still missing, believed to be alive, but her whereabouts and captors are yet unknown. She was kidnapped together with her husband and fellow activist Wael Hamada, poet and lawyer Nazem Hamadi and former political prisoner Samira Khalil. They are known as the Douma 4 and social media are alive with calls for their liberation. They were kidnapped together from the office of two groups Razan founded, the Violations Documentation Centre (VDC) and the Local Development and Small Projects Support Office (LDSPS), in Douma. In November 2014, the four and the VDC were collectively awarded the Heinrich Böll Foundation's Petra Kelly Prize which honours achievements in promoting and respecting human rights in the world and those who work in conflict zones and environmental protection.

On the first anniversary of the kidnapping of Sakharov Prize Laureate Razan Zaitouneh in Syria, EP President and SPN co-Chair Martin Schulz drew attention to her still being missing by reminding thousands of Europeans that there is still no news of her. Network Laureate co-Chair Denis Mukwege in a message of support said that like all Sakharov Prize laureates, Razan Zaitouneh represents freedom of thought and in her case, the freedom of thought of the Syrian people. It is unacceptable, he believes, that in these days there are people being detained, beaten, tortured or assassinated for simply expressing their thoughts. "We launch an appeal to those who have kidnapped Razan, her husband and the other members of their group to give proof of their humanity and return them to their families as soon as possible," Dr Mukwege said. "We express our solidarity with these families and we encourage them in their fight for freedom".

Ulrike Lunacek, as Vice-President of the European Parliament responsible for the Sakharov-Network of the European Parliament called for Razan's release and asked citizens to participate in the campaign. "I am calling for the immediate release of Razan Zaitouneh, Sakharov laureate of the year 2011, and of those kidnapped with her. And I would like to encourage everyone to support the campaign 'FreeRazan' and to condemn this horrible act", she said.

DROI Chair Elena Valenciano said it's already been "a year that we're missing Razan Zaitouneh, Sakharov 2011, kidnapped with her husband and fellow activists because she raised her voice to denounce the massive human rights violations in Syria. We want them back. #FreeRazan now! #Sakharov".

Sakharov Prize Laureate Taslima Nasreen tweeted "Sakharov Prize Laureate & Human Rights lawyer Razan Zaitouneh was kidnapped in Syria almost a year ago. Hope she is still alive. #FreeRazan". Hauwa Ibrahim expressed her concern and support of freedom for Razan and raised awareness about it at meeting in Kathmandu, Nepal with the Women's Regional Network of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Canada and the USA.

The EU's High Representative for Human Rights Stavros Lambrinidis and officials of the European External Action Service, the European Commission through its social media and many NGOs including the Human Rights and Democracy Network encompassing about 50 NGOs are supporting this call to Free Razan.

Joint NGO Appeal launched by the Violations Documentations Centre founded by Razan Zaitouneh

Syria: No word on four abducted activists

A year on, no information on Douma Four

The prominent Syrian human rights defenders Razan Zaitouneh, Samira Khalil, Wa'el Hamada and Nazem Hamadi — the Douma Four—remain missing a year after their abduction, 57 organizations said today. The four were abducted in Duma, a city near Damascus under the control of armed opposition groups. They should be released immediately, the groups said.

The prominent Syrian human rights defenders Razan Zaitouneh, Samira Khalil, Wa'el Hamada and Nazem Hamadi — the Douma Four—remain missing a year after their abduction, 71 organizations said (fourteen other organizations joined the statement after its release on 9 December 2014, bringing the number of signatories to 71 civil society organizations from around the world) . The four were abducted in Duma, a city near Damascus under the control of armed opposition groups. They should be released immediately, the groups said.

On 9 December 2013, at about 10:40 pm, a group of armed men stormed into the office of the Violations Documentation Center in Syria (VDC), a Syrian human rights monitoring group, in Duma and abducted Razan Zaitouneh, the head of the center, and her colleagues — Wa'el Hamada, who is also her husband, Samira Khalil and Nazem Hamadi. The four human rights defenders have not been heard of since.

The armed groups exercising de facto control over Duma include the Army of Islam, headed by Zahran Alloush, which is part of the Islamic Front, a coalition of armed groups. The groups should immediately release the four human rights defenders if they are in the groups' custody, or work toward ensuring they are released unharmed and without delay. Countries that support these groups, as well as religious leaders and others who may have influence over them, should also press for the immediate release of the four activists and for an end to abductions of civilians.

Razan Zaitouneh has been one of the key lawyers defending political prisoners in Syria since 2001. Since the beginning of the crisis in 2011, Razan Zaitouneh has played a key role in efforts to defend human rights for all and protect independent groups and activists in Syria. Along with a number of other activists, she established the VDC, which monitors human rights violations and records casualties in Syria, and co-founded the Local Coordination Committees (LCCs), which coordinates the work of local committees in various cities and towns across Syria. She also established the Local Development and Small Projects Support Office (LDSPS), which assists non-governmental organizations in besieged Eastern Ghouta.

As a result, both by the Syrian authorities and armed opposition groups threatened her. She had been receiving threats for several months before her abduction. She described some of these threats in an article she wrote in the online news outlet Now Lebanon. She had also informed human rights activists outside Syria in September 2013 that she was being threatened by local armed groups in Douma. In April 2014, Razan Zaitouneh's family issued a statement holding Zahran Alloush responsible for her and her colleagues' wellbeing, given the large presence his group maintains in the area. Samira Khalil, has been a longtime political activist in Syria. The Syrian government had detained her between 1987 and 1991 for her activism. She later worked in a publishing house before shifting her efforts to working with the families of detainees and writing about detention in Syria. Before her abduction, she was working to help women in Douma support themselves by initiating small income generating projects.

Wael Hamada was also an activist before the uprising in Syria. When peaceful protests first broke out in the country in 2011, the government detained and later released Hamada. He is an active member and co-founder of the Local Coordination Committees and the VDC. Before his abduction Wael Hamada was working to provide desperately needed humanitarian assistance to the residents of besieged Eastern Ghouta.

Nazim Hammadi, a lawyer and poet, was one of the most prominent volunteer defenders of political prisoners before and after the uprising in Syria. He contributed to founding the Local Coordination Committees and also worked to provide humanitarian assistance to residents of Eastern Ghouta.

Razan Zaitouneh and her colleagues appear to have been abducted and arbitrarily deprived of their liberty as punishment for their legitimate activities as human rights defenders. Such actions are prohibited by international humanitarian law and are contrary to international human rights standards. The armed groups in control of the area and the governments who support them should do everything in their power to facilitate the release of Razan Zaitouneh, Wael Hamada, Samira Khalil and Nazem Hamadi.